I present to you: my monthly playlist, KB Radio (FM)

Have you ever wanted to know what a seasoned music listener (currently my main playlist spans 2270 songs) finds during a month? Well, here you go:

Because the above is a live view of the playlist, you might see a different version of it depending on when you are reading this. And that's exactly the gimmick! Each month, I collect all of the music I discovered the previous month. For example, today I have to update it so it contains September's discoveries.

I love getting to hear new music, specially if it's from loved ones or good friends. I'm always asking them to send me whatever song it's playing from their library so I can listen to it later, and in times when music hunting is a bit slow, I usually ask for recommendations directly. It's one of the ways I get to know someone. You may not know me (or want to know me) personally, but you may want to hear new music and see if you like it. That's what this playlist is for.

I try to listen to everything I come across, regardless of genre. This will sometimes result in incoherent listening sessions for my friends XD, but I think it's trully rewarding. Each genre is very diverse, so even if you think you don't like one, in my experience there's always some artist or album that breaks this tendency. I obviously have my preferences, like everybody else. I love rock and metal, so those and all their subgenres (like nu‐metal, grunge, punk, djent, etc.) will likely be present in most instances of this playlist. I also love indie, funk, rap and phonk, but as I said, sometimes you'll get wildcards in there like salsa, jazz, cumbia, hyperpop... expect the unexpected.

Speaking about this month's instance now, we have some unexpected artists if you are not versed in metal culture, Linkin Park and Poppy:

Linkin Park's back!

Linkin Park's return to action was teased for a short time before playing live and making a livestream of the event. That same day, they released the live gig's opener The Emptiness Machine, the first single with their new vocalist: Emily Armstrong. Let's adress the elephant in the room: no one will be able to substitute previous vocalist Chester Bennington. However, I don't think Linkin Park is trying to do that, and neither should fans. I think they are trying to make a new chapter, honoring the past material and making new music. Speaking of which, I was pleasantly surprised by the new singer and drummer, they nailed the old songs and had great stage pressence. I also loved the new singles, The Emptiness Machine's drum and bass groove and amazing screams where stuck on loop on mine and some friend's earphones. Try listening to the bridge and ending chorus without getting goosebumps. Heavy is the crown was unveiled as the League of Legends Esports (Worlds) song, and I also like it, even if I like the first one more. Both of these tracks will be featured in their upcoming album and are present in this month playlist.

Poppy? The I'm Poppy Poppy???

Yeah. You may know Poppy from her weird run on YouTube making liminal and sureal videos making it look like she was an android. She has carried that creativity into her music, which started following that concept, but quickly deviated into a more emotinal direction, now focused on metal and industrial styles mixed with electronic music. Her previous album, Zig, was very unique and I thoroughly liked it. The artist has recently made colaborations with Bad Omens (V.A.N) and Knocked Loose (Suffocate), and has appeared in a Spiritbox gig. She has unique style, not only instrumentally but vocally. She can do the softest singing, robotic (almost talking) verses, powerfully belted choruses and gut wrenching screams (in the best way possible), and sometimes even in the same song. Her screaming style is very characteristic too, high pitched but aggressive. You can always tell if it's Poppy screaming. She has released a new single off of what it seems to be a new album, called they're all around us, and I consider it an absolute banger.

Other noteworthy stuff

Also included in this instance is the new Childish Gambino's new single Lithonia, which to my knowledge is his first dip into rock. It's more of an indie-rock style, using a piano-like synth and soft, catchy back-up vocals. I also discovered Rolo Tomassi, I have to dip my toes into their catalogue, but they seem like a nice discovery. One of my favourite bands, Sexy Zebras, released their new single Mañana no existe, a spanish rock song which overall message is Carpe Diem. Gaming rap‐rock‐pop trio Starbomb is brewing a new album, and it has a confirmed release date of October 25th, 2024. They have released two singles so far, and I didn't love Pokémon Smash or Pass, but Nintendo Online's Greatest Announcement was great (pun intended). Finally, I got into Clown Core. Mixing metal (especially djent or groove metal), jazz and honks, they are weird, I know, but if you shed your prejudice and take a real and unbiased listen, it may be one of the most interesting musical experiences you'll ever get. Infinite Realm of Incomprehensible Suffering is a soothing jazzy pop track, very straightforward, don't let the name fool you, it may serve as a normal introduction to the duo. I imagine it played on an elevator or as a witing tone for a call center. Flat Earth starts the shenanigans.

Did I win you over? Do you want to take a peek at some of the stuff I mentioned? Here's a link to the playlist. Enjoy!